Syngenta’s SeedCare Institute is officially setting up shop in Canada.
The company’s Canadian facility, located at its Honeywood research facility in Plattsville, Ontario, is now part of a network of 12 centres of excellence around the globe, focusing on advancing seed treatment technology and innovation.
At the official launch last week, Anja Pires, Syngenta Global Head of the SeedCare Institute, explained that the goal of the network is to deliver seed treatments around the world with local expertize. “The team here in Canada are experts in their field and work to develop products, technologies and solutions to help customers maximize their potential in Canada’s unique agricultural environment.”
In this video, Pires explains that staff at the Plattsville location will focus their efforts on key Canadian crops including canola, cereals, corn, potatoes, pulses and soybeans. To be eligible to be part of the network, all 12 of the centres must meet global standards for service areas including: recipe development, application, quality assessment and engineering, stewardship, training, seed safety and biology, and product marketing support.
Doug Baumann is manager of the Honeywood facility. He says his team has a strong understanding of pathology and the disease challenges crops face in Canada. He adds the institute will continue to work on formulations and application methods that meet farmers’ unique needs.
“Canada is one of the most diverse agricultural climates, with temperatures ranging from -40 C to 40 C. We are also highly mechanized and have a large average farm size,” explains Baumann. “This environment drives our collaborations with farmers, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders to ensure products work under Canadian conditions.”
Syngenta’s SeedCare Institute has headquarters in Stein, Switzerland. The other 11 facilities are located in Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine and the US.